Automatic phonograph



May 5, 1953 s. A. STOLBERG 2,637,559

AUTOMATIC PHONOGRAPH Filed Aug. 6, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 fig! 10INVENTOR.

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AUTOMATIC PHONOGRAPH Filed Aug. 6, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 \l IN VEN TOR.

qi-a 22? y 5, 3 s. A. STOLBEORG 2,637,559

I AUTOMAT I C PHONOGRAPH Filed Aug. 6, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN V ENTOR.

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AUTOMATIC PHONOGRAPH Filed Aug. 6, 1947 I 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 QN hww II I I9 INVENTOR. juervaz 5232166 BY MW M y 1953 s. A. STOLBERG 2,637,559

AUTOMATIC PHONOGRAPH Filed Aug. 6, 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR. N51/9700 560M629, Mma/n Patented May 5, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEAUTOMATIC PHONOGRAPH Application August 6, 1947, Serial No. 766,717

The present invention relates to automatic phonographs and moreparticularly to an automatic phonograph which is capable of playing asuccession of records of the disk type on both faces thereof.

Automatic phonographs are in extensive use today, particularly combinedwith radio receivin devices in what is termed a radio-phonographcombination. One of the most common forms of automatic phonographs inextensive use today includes means for supporting a stack of unplayedrecords adjacent to and above the turntable from which stack records arefed one at a time onto the turntable. Such automatic phonoe graphs areadapted to play these records on one side consecutively withoutrequiring any control or assistance from the operator. To play the otherside of these records, it is necessary to turn the entire stack ofrecords around whereupon the other side of the records can be playedsuccessively, one record at a time. 7

There are on the market today various record changers which are capableof playing both sides of a record one after the other. However, theserecord changers are very complicated in that they require means forturning the record around so that the other side of the record may beplayed. Obviously such complicated mechanism greatly increases the costof such record changers and consequently the cost of theradio-phonograph combination in which it is incorporated. It would bedesirable to provide a record changer of the type in which the recordsare dropped from a record stack above the turntable one at a time ontothe turntable for playing or reproduction thereof with means for playingboth sides of the records without the provision of complicated means forturning these records around, whereby it would be possible to provide arecord changer for playing both faces of the records consecutively atlittle additional cost over the relatively inexpensive one side recordchanger of the type referred to above employing the so-called centerpost drop.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a newand improved automatic phonograph.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an automaticphonograph which is capable of playing both faces of a disk record insuccession without being much more complicated than the so-called centerpost drop record player which is capable of playing a succession ofrecords from one side only and without requiring any additional cabinetspace.

14 Claims. (01. 274-) It is another object of the present invention toprovide a new and improved record changer which is extremely simple andsturdy in construction, which will stand up under conditions of severeand constant use without getting out of order or requiring repairs andwhich is inexpensive and simple from the manufacturing standpoint.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an automaticrecord changer employing the same fundamental construction as the.so-called center post drop record changer but which is capable ofplaying the disk-type records from both faces thereof with the additionof a minimum of parts to the heretofore used center post drop recordchanger.

It is a feature of the present invention to provide an improved recordchanger with control means whereby the records may be played only on oneface thereof or on both faces together with means whereby the playing ofany record or any face may be rejected or repetition of any record or ofany face may be obtained with reference to the playing thereof.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide new andimproved means for effecting the necessary reversal in rotation of therecord when played from its opposite sides, such means also serving tosupport the record when played from one side and to transfer the recordto its position for playing on the other side.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved record changer capable of playing'both sides of a disk recordwithout reversing of the record and while employing but a single tonearm.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent as the following description proceeds and the features ofnovelty which characterize this invention will be pointed out withparticularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of thisspecification.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may behad to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a top view of an automatic phonograph embodying the presentinvention with the tone arm indicated in a position free of the records,which position it would assume during a record changing cycle and withtwelve inch records disposed in the record stack;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the phonographshown in Fig. 1 taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a. bottom view of the automatic record Fig. 7 is a sectionalview taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 5;

Fig. '8 is an enlarged view partly in" section taken on line 8-8 of Fig.2;

Fig. 9 is a side elevational-.view-,.-partly-in-sec-- tion of the tonearm of Fig. 1;. looking: int the.

direction of the arrow 9-9 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 10 is a development of a-cam associated with each roller assemblyof the presentsinvemtion; and

Figs. 11,. l2-and 13 are perspective views illustrating various.operating. positions of the. automaticv phonograph. of the present.invention while playing both sides. of" a"v succession. of recordsstacked" above the turntable thereofl I Referring now to thetdra'wi'ngs;there is" illustrated an automatic phonograph lfl having a base member Hwhich servesas'the support to which the various parts of, theautomatic'phono graph are assembled. This base member 6 E with theportions of the aut manc phonograph. ass'embled thereon is readilyadaptable for mount:- ing in asuitable cabinet; not showmwhich cabinet"maytake any desirable'form. The automatic phonograph I to" be describedhereinafter is capable of being mounted in" any cabinet in which theheretofore center drop type of recordchanger capable of playing" onlyone side of a record was mounted, since the base plate ll to which alltheparts of; the automatic phonograph are assembled is preferably madeof the same size as the basesin' prior recordv changers. As

illustrated, this base is preferably provided with a centrally locateddepr'ession' [2; from the center of which a suitable spindleor centerpost t3 extends in an upward direction. T0 ensure the desiredrigidity'and to'permitmounting the center post l3 below the'1evelof therecess l2 in the base I l, the base is-provided witha channel'- shapedsupporting member I' l} best shown in Figs; 3and' 5 of thedrawings;which is suitably fastened as by welding or the like tothe basemember II. The spindleorcenter post 13 is fastened to the chann'el shapedmember- Iii any desired" manner;

RECORD SUPPORTING RECORD ING MEANS Preferably this center" ost I3 is ofthe form disclosed in my prior c'opending application,

Serial No. 576,202, filed February $11145, now

In addition, the center post l -3 is so formed thata slight lateraldisplacement of the lowermost record of the recordsta'cli supported o'nthe-shoul' der I'S- will cause release of this record so that' therecord may slide down center' post" 13 and onto a turntable H5rotatable'about: suitable bearing means coaxially arranged:with-respecttothe' center post- [3; Such a record. indicated at IT in Figs. 2' and5' of: the drawings is shown as having been moved into position on:theturntable l 6: whereupon the'top'faceof this; diskrecord l 1 may bereproduced in a manner which will become apparent as the followingdescription proceeds. A plurality of records, such as H and H", etc., isillustrated as being disposed in the record stack supported on theshoulder of the center post I3 in a manner to be described more fullyhereinafter. The upper end of the spindleor center post I 2 ispreferably provided with one or more movable. members ill for preventingany but the lowermost record of the record stack from being displacedlaterally so as to be moved into playing position either ontothethtntable l6 where the top face thereof can be-played' or toanintermediate position which will: be described hereinafter where thebottom facethereof: can be played. The movable member. I8 is preferablypivotally mounted as indic'atedat l9 to the top of the center post l3and is disposed in a suitable slot formed in the post l3. It will beapparent that this pivotally mounted. member [8 is arranged to permitremoval of the record'sfromthe turntable it after all the records-havebeen movedfrornthe record stack onto the turntable without removing'the'center post l3 merely by raising the recordsta'clt from the. turntablel6 whereupon the member la'pivots about its support l9 so as not tointerfere with the removal'of' the records. This a'rra ngement. forms nopart'of the present invention but. is'd'isclosed' and claimed in theprior'copendin'g application referredv to above. 7

For the. purpose or further supporting thereoord stack comprising therecords; IT", l'l", etc'; on the center post [3; there. extends}upwardly from. the base II and in a manner so as to be' clear of theturntable l6 and also the largest size record such as l l which mightbedisposed on the turntable 16, a vertical, hollow post or stand 22.

which houses the. periphery engaging record shown in Fig. 5 ofthe-drawings. Fastened'to the eccentric 26 is a rectangular shelf orrecord supporting member 2.! which is rotatable. in either directionwith the eccentric 26 through an angle of 360 so as to be adjustablefor,and capame of; supporting either ten inch or twelve. inch disk recordssuch as I 7., ll", etc. kickoff-head assembly such that it can be r0-tated 360, and in either direction, there is. no

likelihood of breaking or jamming due to im-- proper handling. Pivotallymounted about a.

horizontal pivot pin 28 Within po t or stand 22 is a rock arm or lever29. This rock arm or lever 29 is provided with a slotted openingv 30engageable with the pivot pin 28 so as to be capable of limited movementin a direction generally along the axis of the post or stand 22.

The upper end of the lever or rock arm 29'has fastened thereto asuitable sleeve 3! having a portion ofreduced cross-section 3 la whichis disposed about on the level with a longitudinal re-' cess- 32 definedin the'shelf 2-1 as is best shown in Fig. '7 of the drawings. Thislongitudinal recess 32 is adapted to support a pair of automatic stopcontrolling or sensing members 33 and 34,.respectively. The automaticstop controlling member 33 comprises two laterally extcnd-ingmembersfla'With the record and 33b which are adapted to be disposed in cooperatingrecesses 35 formed in the shelf 21 and extending laterally from opposededges of the recess 32. The end 330 of the stop controlling member 33 isdisposed substantially at right angles to the main body portion of themember 33 as is best shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. The other end ofthe member 33 is provided with a forked portion 33d which is adapted toextend on either side of the portion of reduced cross-section 3 la ofthe sleeve 3| so as to support the head portion 3|b of the sleeve 3| andconsequently support the rock arm or lever 29. The member 34 issubstantially identical with the member 33 except that it is muchshorter, as is clearly apparent from Figs. 5 and 7 of the drawings. Itis, however, provided With the laterally extending portions 34a and 34bwhich are adapted to pivotally support the member 34 in recesses 36defined along the edges of the recess 32 in the member 21. Also themember 34 is provided with an upwardly extending portion 34c which isadapted to extend above the level of the shelf or ledge 21 so as to beengageable by the bottommost record such as H of th record stack. Themember 34 is also provided with a forked end 34d for engaging theportion of reduced cross-section 3| 1) of the sleeve 3| fastened to therock arm 29. The end 33d of the member 33 is adapted to extend beneaththe forked end 34d of the member It will be apparent that, whenever arecord is resting on the edge of the ledge 21, such record will engageeither the portion 340 of the member 34 or the portion 330 of the member33, depending upon whether ten inch or twelve inch records are supportedin the record stack, thereby moving the sleeve 3| and consequently therock arm or lever 29 to an uppermost position. the purpose of which willbe described in greater detail hereinafter in connection with theautomatic stopping means for the phonograph. It is apparent that, whenno record is resting on the ledge 21, the weight of the rock arm 29causes it to bias the levers or members 33 and 34 about their pivotalsupporting means disposed in the recesses 35 and 36, respectively, so asto permit the rock arm 29 to move to a lower position, which might bereferred to as a functioning position. Although the ledge 21 is shown inFigs. 5 and 6 of the drawings as turned to the position for supportingtwelve inch records, it will be understood that rotation of theeccentric 26 relative to the post 22 will cause the end of the ledge 21adacent the portion 330 of the member 33 to be in position to supportthe peripheral edges of ten inch records.

For the purpose of moving the lowermost record such as H laterallysufficiently to be free of the ledge l5, there is provided an ejectorplate ll! disposed on the ledge 21 and reciprocally movable relativethereto. As illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings, the ejector plate 40is provided with an opening through which the sleeve 3| extends. Theeiector plate 43 is also provided with notches or cutaway portions suchas 400: so as not to interfere with the portions 330 and 360 of themembers 33 and 34, respectively. It will be a parent that pivotalmovement of the rock arm 29 about the pivot 28 will cause reciprocalmovement of the ejector plate 40. The ends of the ejector plate 40 areshaped so as to have a slightly concave form as indicated at 401) and400 so as to engage the peripheral edge of either a ten inch or a twelveinch record, respectively, supported on the ledge 21 depending upon theparticular position of the ledge 21. With the arrangement described,

the assembly operation is very simpl since the parts are merely laid intheir various interrelated positions without the requirement of anyfastening means or the like. For example, th members 33 and 34 arepositioned in the recesses defined in the ledge 21 following the pivotalmounting of the rock arm 29 in the post 22. Subsequently, the ejectorplate is positioned on the ledge so that th sleeve 3| extends throughthe openin 40d defined therein.

For the purpose of holding the parts described above in position, asuitable cap 12 is provided which may be suitably supported from theledge 21. Preferably, the cap 42 is provided with a slot 420. in whichis pivotally mounted a member 33 having a roller M at the free endthereof for engaging the topmost record of the record stack to steadythe same and, consequently, better support the record stack on thecenter post l3. The roller M is preferably formed of resilient materialsuch as rubber or the like. A suitable leaf spring 35 disposed in thecap or casing 42 is adapted to engage with one of the edges 43a or 43bof the member 43, as best shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, so as tocause the member 44 to be biased into firm engagement with the topmostrecord of the record stack.

In order to position the shelf 21 properly for supporting both ten inchand twelve inch records, the eccentric 26 is provided around itsperiphery with a pair of notches such as 41 which are engageable by asuitable roller 48 mounted on a lever :39. Suitable spring means areprovided to bias the lever it and, consequently, the roller 43 intoengagement with the surface of the eccentric 26 so as to maintain it ineither its position for ten inch records or its position for twelve inchrecords. The lever is fastened to a rod 53 which is rotatable insuitable bearings defined in ears ill and 52 extending from the post 22in a lateral direction, as is best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Theeccentric shape of the eccentric 26 causes a predetermined rotation ofthe member 53 depending upon whether ten inch or twelve inch records arepositioned on the record stack. The lower end of the rod is providedwith a lateral extension 53a which is disposed between two upwardlyextending arms 53a and 53b of a member 53 which is mounted forreciprocal movement to the underside of the base as by means of pin andslot connections or the like indicated at 3 i-54a and 5555a in Fig. 8 ofthe drawings. A suitable spring 53 is provided having one end connectedto the reciprocal member 53, as, for example, to a downwardly extendingportion 33c thereof, while the other end is connected to an extension ofthe pin 53 depending from the base ll. This pin 54 extends through theslot 53a to control the reciprocal movement of the member 53.

The end of the member 53 remote from the lever or rotatable shaft 50 isprovided with a trough-shaped cam 58, the purpose of which will becomeapparent as the following description proceeds. From the. abovedescription, it will be apparent that, when the ledge or shelf 21 isrotated to support twelve inch records. the eccentric causes thetrough-shaped cam 58 to be moved to a position farthest away from thestand or post 22, while, when the shelf or ledge 21 is moved to theposition to support ten inch records, the trough-shaped cam 58 is movedto a position closest to the post 22. As will become apparent from thefollowing description the trou h-shaped cam 53 is adapted to control thepositioning of aeamao the tone armto bedescribed-hereinafter-so astoengage the initial sound groove of either a ten inch or a twelve inchrecord depending upon the size of the records in the record stack on thecenter post is andconsequently in dependence upon-the position of theeccentric 26 associated with the record supporting ledge 2?.

It will be understood that a record feeding operation occurs when thelever'orrock arm 29 pivots about its pivotal support 2am a clockwisedirection, as viewed in Fig. 5 of the drawings, whereby the ejectorplate 40, regardless of whether the ledge 2'1 isin a position forsupporting ten or twelve inch records, is moved in a reciprocal mannerto move the lowermost record in the record stack free of the shoulderl5. For the purpose of operating the rock arm or lever 29 in this mannerto produce a record feeding operation, there is provided a U-shapedframe Gil-depending from the base i l for pivotally supportinga shaft orpivotal member H having a laterally extending portion (lid forsupporting a roller Extending upwardly from the pivotal member iii is anextension Slb having a sawcut 6 lo therein. A suitable extension (lid ofthe pivotally mounted member Si is connected by means of a spring $4 toa V-shaped extension 68a ex-- tending laterally from the U-shaped frame68 as is shown at in Fig. 8 of the drawings. This spring normally biasesthe pivotally mounted member 6! ina clockwise direction, as viewed in 5of the drawings, so as to bias the roller 62 downwardly.

In accordance with the present invention the roller 52 is adapted tocontrol the record feeding operation through movement of the reel: 29.To relate the roller 52 with the rock arm there is provided a leafspring member 56 having a forked end engaging with a forked end 2911. ofthe rock arm 29. The other end of the leaf sprin is inserted in thsawcut (lie of the extension 8 lb of the pivotal member 6! and fa."-tened thereto in any suitable manner. With this arrangement, it isapparent that, if the roller 62 is moved upwardly as viewed in Fig. 5 ofthe drawings, force will be transmitted through the leaf spring 65 tothe rock arm 29' to cause pivotal movement in a clockwise direction asviewed in Fig. 5 of the drawings. A record feeding operation willconsequently be produced whenever the roller -32 is raised as viewed inFig. 5 of the drawings. It is furthermore apparent that by virtue of theleaf spring 66 it is possible to block movement of the rock arm 29 toprevent a record feeding operation without damage to the mechanism eventhough the roller 62* were raised and movement of pivotal member 55occurred against the bias of spring 54.

TONE ARM AND CGNTROLS THEREFGR Also extend ng above the base ii of theautomatic phonograph id of the present invention is a suitable tone arml6 wh ch is adapted to support one or more pickup units in the free endthereof for engaging the sound grooves provided in records such as H, iiand the like. In order that the automatic phonograph of the presentinvention is capable of playing both sides of the disk recordsassociated therewith, the tone arm 1*!) is illustrated as being providedwith an up wardly extending stylus "ii and a downwardly extending stylus72. The upwardly extending stylus l! is adapted to engage the undersideof a suitable record for playing p rposes, while the downwardlyextending stylus, in a manner well understood by those in the art, isadapted to engage the sound groove in a record positioned on theturntable 6. It should be understood that each stylus 'II and (2 may bea part of a single pickup unit or a separate pickup unit may beassociated with each stylus. The par-1 ticular construction'of thepickup units and styli forms no part of the present invention.

As is best shown in Figs. 2 and 9 of the drawings the tone arm Til ispivoted for vertical movement about a horizontal pivot '13 extendingthrough a pair of upwardly extending ears 14a of a collar l fastened toa vertically extending rotatable shaft '15. The rotatable shaft 75 ispreferably a tubular shaft which is supported by the collar M: rotatingon a raised portion l6 which might comprise an integral portion of'thebase i i. The lower end of the tubular shaft 15' is effectivelyconnected. to a mechanism generally indicated at l? in Figs. 2 and 8 ofthe drawings comprising a secondary tone arm '18 including an extension18a and an adjustable trip actuating member l fe. The end of thesecondary tone arm it includes a pin or cam follower T9. The mechanism7? forms no part of the present invention but is disclosed and claimedin my prior copendin application, serial No. 699,961, filed September28, 19%, now abandoned, and assigned to the same assignee as the presentapplication.

Extending through the vertical tubular tone arm shaft is is a tone armraise pin 53%) which operates in the conventional manner to raise thetone arm '56 at a predetermined instant during the record changing cyclesubsequently to lower the tone arm onto the particular record in playingposition on the turntable it or to raise the tone err. '53 intoengagement with the under side of the particular record, the undersideof which is being played as will be in greater detail hereinafter.Fastened to the upper end of the raise pin 88 is a laterally extendingmember am having an adjustable means such as a screw 82 associatedtherewith. The d and of the adjustable means 82 is adapted to engagewith a lever also pivotally mounted about the. pivot l3 and biased bysuitable spring means 8! to a predetermined downward position. Thespring means 3! is connected from an intermed?ate point Sia of the tonearm to the lever 88 as is best shown Fig. {l of the drawings. The end ofthe lever 83 is adapted to engage a stop ma normally to limit thedownward movement of the tone arm. The spring 8; is capable of producingthe desired upward force for causing the stylus ii to engage the soundgroove on the underside of a record as will become appar ent as thefollowing description proceeds. If desired, an additional sprin 8i maybe provided connected between the collar 'i l and the tone arrn ill tohelp support the weight thereof. The

adjustable means 82 is adapted to engage the lever 83 to raise the tonearm '5'} in any desired manner. l'he lever 83 and the resilient means 85biasing the same in a downward direction against the stop l lo tend tocushion the tone arm in its upward movement when stylus "H is effectivewhile the spring 8 E tends U0 cushion the downward movement of the tonearm iiwhen the stylus H is effective.

It will be understood that the construction of the tone arm raise pin8"? per se forms no part of the present invention and any suitable meansfor accomplishing the purpose may be provided. Preferably, the laterallyextending member a is provided with a vertica' extension 80b movable ina vertical groove in the collar I4 thereby properly relating the lever80a with the shaft '55, while at the same time permitting reciprocalmovement thereof in a vertical direction in response to movement of thetone arm raise pin 80.

MAIN CONTROL CAlVl' For the purpose of actuating the cam follower I9 ofthe secondary tone arm l8 and the tone arm raise pin 80, there isprovided a main rotatable cam generally deisgnated at 85 which issubstantially identical in every respect with the rotatable camdisclosed and claimed in copendng application, Serial No. 616,879, Endo,filed December 1'7, 1945, now abandoned, and assigned to the sameassignee as the present application. As illustrated, the cam 85 ismounted for rotation on a stationary vertical shaft generally designatedat 85 which has one end thereof supported from the base ii. Preferably,the other end of the shaft 86 is supported from a suitable plate 01disposed beneath the rotatable cam 35 and suitably supported from thebase I! by a series of depending pins or bolts designated at 88, 88a,etc.

The rotatable cam is provided around its periphery with gear teeth 85aadapted to engage a rotatable pinion 89 which is driven at suitabletimes during a record changing cycle so as to a 90 in Fig. 3 of thedrawings, supported from the base II. The particular construction of themotor 90 forms no part of the present invention but is preferably of thetype disclosed and claimed in a copending application of Earle W.Ballentine, Serial No. 711,694, filed November 22, 1946, now Patent No.2,492,207, and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.This motor 90 also drives the turntable I5 by suitable friction wheels,not shown, one of which is adapted to engage the rim of the turntableIE. The mechanism for controlling the drive of the turntable I6 and thepinicn 89 forms no part of the present invention but is disclosed andclaimed in my copending application, Serial No. 535,218, filed jointlywith Earle W. Ballentine on May 12, 1944, now Patent No. 2,480,623, andassigned to the same assignee as the present invention. The powersupplied to the motor 90 from any suitable source of electrical energy,not shown, is preferably controlled by a suitable switch BI supportedfrom the underside of the base I I.

The rotatable cam 85 is provided with an edge or rim portion 92 whichforms a horizontally disposed cam surface for controlling the tone armraise pin 630 during the record changing cycle. The top surface of therim 92 is provided with a portion of reduced height 92a defining a dwellportion for normally controlling the tone arm raise pin during theoperation of the automatic phonograph when the cam 85 remainsstationary. The rotatable cam 85 also includes a cam track for the camfollower 19, a larg portion of which is defined between a raised portion93 on the upper surface of the cam 85 and the rim portion 92. A portionof the cam track for the cam follower I9 is also defined between aslidable member 94, best shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings, and either therim 02 or the raised this cam track and, consequently, controls theposition of the tone arm "I0 so as to move it clear of the turntable orback into playing engagement with the records in playing position eitheron the turntable or in the position to be described hereinafter wherebythe under surface of the record may be played. The slidable member orsegment 94 controls the initial positioning of the tone arm relative tothe record in playing position whether it be on the turntable or in theposition assumed when the underside of the record is being played, butin either case in dependence upon whether a ten inch or twelve inchrecord is involved. The slidable member 94 is provided. with an upwardlyextending pin 95 which is adapted to be engaged by the troughshaped cam58 for moving the slidable member 94 either to the position shown inFig. 8 of the drawings whereby the cam follower I9 moves the tone arm tothe initial position for playing twelve inch records or to a positionagainst the rim 9| so as to position the tone arm for playing ten inchrecords. In view of the detailed description included above withreference to the trough-shaped cam 58, it is apparent that, dependingupon the size of the records supported on the record stack, thetrough-shaped cam 58 is moved to a predetermined position so as properlyto position the slidable member 94 during the record changing cyclewhereby the tone arm 10 is subsequently positioned to engage the initialsound groove of the record in playing position whether the record be aten inch or a twelve inch record.

MANUAL CONTROL MEANS In addition to the elements described thus far,extending upwardly from the base I I and consequently extending into theview of the operator, there are provided two manual control buttons 91and 98, respectively. The manual control button 98 comprises theconventional control button heretofore employed in automatic phonographsof the type disclosed in the copending applications referred to above.This button 98 may be used to turn off the phonograph, to selectivelypre-set the mechanism for manual or automatic operation when this buttonis moved to the on position or to cause rejection of any record that ismoved into playing position whether it be moved to the playing positionon the turntable or to the playing position for playing the underside ofthe record as will be brought out in greater detail hereinafter. Thefunction of the control button 98 will be briefly described inconnection with the mechanism which it actuates for the purpose of acomplete disclosure, although it forms no part of the present invenion.

Referring now to the underside of the base II, as best shown in Fig. 3of the drawings, it may be observed that the button 08 is connected toa. crank 99 having a pin I00 engageable with a slot I 0 I a in amanually actuatable lever I0 I, which lever is pivotally mounted to thebase II as indicated at I02. This lever IN is provided with a pluralityof notches I03 and I04 engageable with a. pin I05 which acts as apositioning means. The pin I05 is mounted on a lever I06 suitably biasedby means of a spring l0! into engagement with the notched portions I03and I04 of the lever IOI. Lever IN is also provided with a projectionl0lb which actuates the switch 9|, which switch is provided with asuitable movable arm 9m engageable with the portion I0 I b of the leverI thereby cutting off the power supplied to the motor 90 from a suitablesource, not shown, when the button 93 is moved to the off position shownin Fig. l of the drawings. Lever I0! also includes an extension IilIccontrolling a bellcrank I 08 which when button 98 is moved to the offposition moves the friction drive for the turntable I6 and the pinion 89to an inoperative position.

When the button 98 is moved to the on position, the drive between themotor at and the pinion 89 is rendered eiiective dependent, however,upon suitable releasable or latching means forming no part of thepresent invention, which means control the initiation of the recordchanging cycle. This releasable means includes a trip lever Hi9pivotally mounted to the base II and when this trip lever Itl: isactuated it in turn moves a lever i it to release the latching mechanismwhereby the drive between the motor 90 and the cam 85 is renderedeffective. When the button 98 is moved to the reject position, the endIiiid of the lever ltli engages the trip lever I39 so as immediately toactuate or initiate the record changing cycle regardless of the positionof the tone arm ill relative to the record being played. When it isdesired to play only a single record which is placed on the turntable,generally referred to as a manual operation of the automatic phonograph,the button 98 is turned to the on position and, as will become apparentfrom the following description, the phonograph will play this one recordand stop with the tone arm it free of the record as shown in Fig. 1 ofthe drawings so a new record can be manually positioned on theturntable. It isapparent that, when the automatic phonograph of thepresent invention is operated for manual operation, it is unnecessary toemploy the stylus ii on the upper side of the tone arm ill since therecord can be positioned on the turntable with the proper face upwardlyto play that side. It is only when the phonograph is arranged forautomatic operation with a plurality of records on the record stack andit is desired to play the faces of the-records in succession that themeans to be described hereinafter for playing the underside of therecords by means of the stylus II is'employed.

AUXILIARY CONTROL CAM AND ASSOCIATED MECHANISM In order that the ejectormechanism described in detail above may be actuated at the proper timeduring a record changing cycle to release a record from the recordstack, either into the playing position where the underside thereof maybe played to be described hereinafter or onto the turntable where theupper side thereof may be played, in synchronized relationship with thetone arm it, there is provideda cam, generally designated in Fig. 4 ofthe drawings by the reference numeral I it, which might be designated asan auxiliary cam, the purpose of which is to provide an operating cyclewhich requires two-revolutions of the main control cam 85. Asillustrated, the cam H5, to be described in greater detail hereinafter,is fastened to the underside of the cam 85 so as also to be rotatableabout the shaft 86. Like the main cam 85, the auxiliary cam I I isalways adapted to rotate in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 3and 4 of the drawings and indicated by the arrows thereon. The auxiliarycam H5 is provided with a crescent-shaped cam follower H6 connected to alink H'I. As will become apparent from the following descrip- 12 tion,rotation of the cam H5 causes reciprocal movement of the link Ill, acomplete cycle of the link Ill being completed once for every tworevolutions of the cam I it As is best shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings,the cam H5 comprises two curvilinear cam tracks H8 and H9. The cam trackiil has a large diameter than the cam track ME) and substantiallysurrounds the latter except for a common or discontinuous portion 528 ofthese two cam tracks. In the common portion of these two cam tracks E E8and i It there is provided a switch I2I having a cam track IEI definedtherein. This switch iii is mounted for limited pivotal movement, withthe extreme counter-clockwise rotated position thereof being shown inFig. 4 of the drawings. To limit the extreme positions, the switch I2!is provided with a notch or cutaway portion I2Ea, the ends of whichengage with a pin i2lb disposed in the auxiliary cam H5. It will beapparent that the switch IZI may rotate in a clockwise direction to aposition whereby the right-hand end of the notch IEIa engages the pinI251).

Due to the counter-clockwise rotation of the cam M5, the left-hand endof the switch track MI is always adapted to receive the 'leadingtipIlfiu of the cam follower H8 when the cam follower Hi3 effectively movesfrom one cam track such as H9 to the other cam track H8 or vice versa.The leading portion i Itc of the camfollower H6 is so shaped that uponentering the switch track l2! it causes it to pivot to its otherposition, thereby ensuring the effective transfer of the cam followerfrom one cam track tothe other.

It will be apparent that with this arrangement the cam follower I Itcauses the link I I! to reciprocate substantially along the axis of thelink to complete a cycle of reciprocal movement once during every tworevolutions of the cam H5. Assuming rotation of the cam I I5 from theposition shown in Fig. 4, it will be apparent that the switch track iiiwill be moved so that the leadend Hta of the cam follower H6 will enterthe track IZI'. Continued rotation of the cam H5 will cause the switchtrack I12! to move into alignment with the end of the cam track H8adjacent the right-hand end of the track I2I. Continued rotation of thecam I it will cause the cam track H8 to control the cam follower H6whereby the link Hi moves along its axis in a direction toward the rightas viewed in Fig. 4 of the drawings. Upon the completion of anotherrevolution of the cam H5, the leading end Hfia of the cam follower H6again effectively enters the cam traclr IZI' which now disposed in itsother position from that shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. Continuedrotation of the cam H5 will move the switch I'ZI back to the positionshown in Fig, 4 so that the second revolution of the cam I I5 may becompleted with the cam follower HB eifectively moving back into the camtrack H9.

In accordance with the present invention, the reciprocal movement of thelink Ill is adapted to control the record feeding operation as bycausing reciprocal movement of the ejector plate 48 through pivotalmovement of the rock arm or lever 29. Accordingly, the lin IE! isconnected to a link I23 as by means of a pin I24. The pin I24 is alsoconnected to a segmental member I25 mounted for pivotal movement about apivotal support which preferably comprises the pin 88 depending from thebase I I. It

will be apparent that, by virtue of the pivotal movement of thesegmental member I25, the junction point of the links II! and I23 tendsto move about the pin 88 in an arcuate manner. In order to guide theends of the link I23 remote from the point of connection with the linkill, it is provided with an elongated slot I23a. A slidable plate 52? isadapted to be mounted for sliding movement along the angular portion ofthe laterally disposed frame extension tile. This slidable plate I2! hasa downwardly projecting finger ifila which is adapted to be disposedwithin the longitudinal slot 223a in the link 23. A suitable springfinger l28 fastened to the frame til is provided with a suitable detent528a for engaging with a plurality of openings formed in the slidableplate I27 whereby the slidable plate 22? may be selectively positionedin a plurality of positions.

Extending upwardly from the link I23 and preferably formed by integralupset portions thereof is a pair of cams I29 and Hit, respectively. Thecam H9 is in the form of a sawtooth having closely adjacent cam surfacesterminating substantially in a point. The cam 35, on the other hand, isprovided with an angularly disposed cam surface portion at the endremote from the junction point between the links Ill and 23 connected toan elongated cam surface portion providing a substantially horizontalsurface. Th se cams I29 and [til are adapted to selectively engage theroller t2 so as to perform a record feeding operation. Sliding movementof the plate 52? is controlled through manipulation of the button d?which is connected to the sliding plate till by means of a crank I3l anda rod B32 best shown in Figs. 3 and 8 of the drawings. When the buttonfl? is moved to the position marked 2 in Fig. l of the drawings, the camIE3 is rendered effective by being disposed beneath the roller 52. Whenthe button ill is moved to the position shown in Fig. l of the drawingsmarked 1, the sliding plate i2? is moved to the position shown in Fig. 8of the drawings so that the cam I29 is disposed directly beneath theroller 52. When the button 9i is moved to the repeat position, thesliding plate 521 and consequently the link I23 is moved to the left, asviewed in Fig. 8 of the drawings, sufficiently so that both of the camsI29 and I35 are to the left of the roller 62 whereby they are bothineffective to cause a record feeding operation.

It will be apparent that reciprocal movement of the link I23 guided bythe extension of the plate l2! movable in the elongated slot H2311 will,when the cam 5353 is effective, cause the roller 62 to be raised andconsequently to move the ejector plate to release the bottommost recordfrom the record stack on the center post l3. Due to the fact that tworevolutions of the main cam 85 are required to produce one cycle of thelink 23, it will be apparent that during one cycle of the cam 85 arecord is released from the record stack but during a second cycle ofthe cam 85 no record is released since the roller 82 remains in theraised position on the cam I30 and is not permitted to drop down to theposition shown in Fig. 5 of drawings until the end of the second cycle.It will be apparent that with this arrangement both sides of the recordmoved from the record stack will be played before another record isreleased and, consequently, the numeral 2 associated with the button 91refers to the fact that both sides of therecord are played.

When only one side of a record is to be played, the button 91 is removedto the position shown in Fig. l of the drawings whereupon the cam I29 isrendered effective. Due to the leading and trailing cam surfaces on thecam E29, it is apparent that the roller 62 is raised to release a recordby operation of the ejector plate ll] when the link E30 is moved awayfrom the center of the earns and H5 and the trailing surface of this campermits the roller 62 to move downwardly immediately following raisingthereof. During the next cycle of the cam 85 when the link I23 movestoward the center of the cams 85 and H5 the process is repeated. Inother words, a record is released from the record stack for every cycleof the cam 85 thereby causing playing on only one side of the diskrecords. When the button Ell is moved to the repeat position shown inFig. 1 of the drawings, neither the cams I25) or. I32 is operable tocause movement of the roller 62 and; consequently, no record isreleased. This means that the record moved into playing position on theturntable I6 will be replayed.

MECHANISM FOR SUPPORTING RECORDS SO THE UNDERSIDE THEREOF CAN BE PLAYEDIn order that the bottom side of the disk record may be played by theupwardly extending stylus ll of the tone arm '10, it is necessary thatthe record be supported for rotation in a first playing position abovethe tone arm to. To this end, there is provided a plurality ofsubstantially identical roller assemblies use, each comprising a rollerHill which is rotatably mounted on stationary horizontal shaft MI. Eachhorizontal shaft MI is connected to a rotatable and vertically movablevertical shaft I42 by means of a suitable connecting means I43.Preferably, the

vertical shaft H42 extends into a suitable opening provided in theconnecting member M3 and the horizontal shaft I lI acts as a set screwengaging suitable threads formed in the member I43 to clamp the verticalmember M2 in position in the member I43 thereby providing a rigid,

easily united assembly.

Each roller I40 is preferably formed of resilient material such asrubber or the like and is freely rotatable on its associated horizontalshaft MI. As illustrated in the drawings, the vertical shafts I42 areadapted to be mounted for rotation in suitable sleeve-like bearings I38extending above the base I I at spaced points around the periphery ofthe turntable it. These sleeve-like bearings I38 are preferably adaptedto extend through openings in the base H for threaded engagement with aplurality of stationary sleeves I 44 each forming a part of one rollerassembly I39 for controlling vertical movement of the associatedvertical shaft I42. The lower end of each vertical shaft or rod M2extends into its associated sleeve Hi4 beneath the base ll. In order toguide the lower end of the rod or shaft M2 in the sleeve I44, disk-likepiston members I45 are fastened for reciprocal movement with the rodsI42 within the sleeves HM. Each sleeve E44 is provided with an L-shapedslot l i la defined therein, which slot comprises a vertical portionM422 and a horizontal portion IMc connected with the upper end of thevertical portion I442). A suitable pin I41 fastened to the verticallymovable and rotatable rod or shaft I42 is adapted to be disposed, withinthe slot I44a memes of 'L-shaped configuration. It will be apparentthat, if the pin I4! is moved upwardly in the vertical portion'of theL-shaped slot Hula/the rollers M are raised a predetermined amount abovethe base I'I. When-the pin I i? reaches the top of the verticalportionof the L-shaped slot N ta, it may be moved along the horizontal portionM le of this slot whereby'the rollers M l are adapted to be rotated fromthe'position shown insolid'linesin Fig. 1 of the drawings to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 'l'of the drawings. With thisarrangement, it is impossible for the rollers to pivot about thevertical shafts M2 from the solid positions of Fig. 1 to the dottedpositions or vice versa unless the vertical shafts M2 are raised totheir-uppermost position to'permit the pin I47 to moveinto thehorizontal po;'- tion 1440 of the L-shaped slot ram.

For the purpose of causing vertical movement ofithe rollers I' lilta's.well as pivotal-movement of the vertical shafts Hi2, each of the rollerassem- 1311881 39113ZDlOVldBd'Wlth arotatable sleeve I48 adapted to beconcentrically positioned with reference'to the sleeve M4 as is bestshown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The rotatable sleeve I48 is providedwith an opening Mac, best shown in the developed View in 10 of thedrawings, one boundary of which defines an inclined cam surface I49.Rotation of the external sleeve I48 will cause the associated pin Ml tomove upward ly along the cam surface M9 so as to raise the shaft I42until the pin I' l! enters thehorizontal portion I I=lc of the L-shapedslot Mac in the innersleeve M l. Continued rotation of the outer sleeveM8 when the .pin I 4! has .reached the upper end of'the inclined camsurface I49 causes thepin tomove into thehorizontal slot m le intheinner sleeve M4 to cause pivotal movement of the shafti l2. The upperend of the cam surface Ida, best shown in Fig. 10 of the drawings,terminates in a notch 2583 for receiving the pin 94?. Rotation of theouter sleeve I48 in either direction while the pin M? isdisposed in thenotch I53 will cause the pin I l: to move in either direction along thehorizontal portion I' 'Mc of the L-shaped slot 1a.

From the above-description, it will be apparent that a very simplemechanism is provided for causing vertical movement of the shafts M32 aswellas pivotalmovement thereof controlled entirely by movement of therotatable outer sleeve lt'is apparent that the three rollers M8 of theroller assemblies I39 must be simultaneously rendered effective orineffective to support a record above the turntable and to this end eachof the sleeves I48 is provided at .its lower end with a gear or sprocketI52. Preferably these sprockets I52 are suitably welded or otherwisefastened to the rotatable outer sleeves MS and are interconnected by anysuitable driving means as, for example, the metallic belt I53, providedwith perforations I54. for engaging the teeth of the sprockets I52.

The outer sleeves I48 with the attached sprockets E52 are preferablymaintained in rotatable position on the inner sleeves I44 by means ofannular members I56 fastened to the sleeves M4 by suitable set screws orthe like. To provide rigidity and additional support'for the lower endsof the inner sleeves I 44, the annular members I56 are preferablyinterconnected by suitable rods I51 which may be threaded into theannular members or fastened thereto in any suitable member. Preferablythe annular'members I56 are 16 fastened to the rods 15! to forma unitwhich is then slipped onto the lower ends of the :inner sleeves I44 andfastened thereto.

ROLLER ASSEMBLY OPERATING .MECHA- NISM It will be understood that onlywhen it is desired to play both sides'of a disk record is it necessaryfor the rollers I40 to be moved to a position for supporting a diskrecord inthemanner indicated in Fig. 13 0f the drawings. Consequently,it is only when the button 97 is moved to position 2 that the rollersI40 should be in other than the position indicated in solid lines inFig. 1 of the drawings. To this end, the outer sleeve I44 of one of thethree roller assemblies such, for example, as the outer sleeve I44 ofthe roller assembly adjacent the stand 22 isprovided with a gear I60integrally formed with the sleeve I44 adjacent the lower end thereof,which gear is adapted to :be engaged with a segmental gear -I6Ipivotally mounted about the pin 88 depending from the base I I.

The segmental gear .1 SI is provided with an extension I GIa which isadapted to be engaged with a shoulder IGZa on a link I62 pivotallymounted as indicated at I54 to the plate 81 for supporting the rotatablecam 85 as described above. When the shoulder I52a of the link or leverI62 is in engagement with the extension I Glen of the segmental gearEBI, as indicated in Fig. 8 of the drawings, the segmental gear IGI ismaintained in a stationary position. To control the position of thelever or link I62, it is connected by means of a rod I65 with the crankI3I fastened to the manual control buton 9?. When the controlbutton ismoved to the 1 position, as shown in the drawings, the shoulder IE2 isin engagement with the extension I6Ia of the segmental gear I6I wherebythe segmental gear cannot operate and the rollers I40 are maintained intheir solid line positions shown in Fig. lof the drawings. The end ofthe rod I65 extends into an elongated slot I622; in the link I62 sothat, even when the button ill is moved to the repeat position, the linkI52 remains in the position shown in Figs. 3 and 8 of the drawingseffectively locking the segmental gear IBI in the position shown. Theslot IfiZb merely provides a lost motion connection to permit movementof the button 91 to the repeat position without changing the position oflever When the button 91 is moved. to the 2 position, the rod I65 causesthe link I62 to move so that it is free of the extension IGIa of thesegmental gear IBI whereupon pivotal movement of the segmental gear ISIabout pivot pin 88 is possible. Under these conditions, the segmentalgear IGI is adapted to be driven by the segment I25 by means of a pinIGB extending upwardly from the segmental gear I6I. The segment I25 isprovided with a spring biased dog I69 pivotally mounted thereto by meansgenerally designated as I '30. A suitable spring normally biases the dogI69 against a stop I'II which is preferably an upset portion of thesegment I25. A plurality of cars I73 is provided on the dog I89 forselectively holding the end of the tension spring I72 and variablycontrolling the tension thereof. The end of the dog I69 is adapted toengage the pin I68 and if the gear segment IGI is free to pivot aboutpin 88 the dog I69 causes the segment I25 and the segmental gear ISI tomove as a unit. When the shoulder I52a efiectively locks the gearsegment I 6| in the position shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings, the dog169- is adapted to-slip' bm the pin it during reciprocal movement of thelinks 1:11

and l23. The segment R is provided withl-an exe tension rree whichengagesth'e pinv IGBitoreturnthe gearsegment it i to its initialposition, shown.

in Fig. 8 of the drawings, with the segment 125. when thegear segmentit! haspivotedtotts maXimu-mextent in a counterclockwise direction aboutthe pin-Mi es viewed in Fig. 8 (tithe-draws. ings. The gearsegment. it!is also. :provided with a downwardly depending stopornshoulder memberliilb which may comprise a downwardly extending pin or an integralportion such as-is illustrated. in the drawings. :This. downwardly IeXe:tending shoulder ltlb is adapted to :control-the tone arm when theunderside of a diskrecordsisbeingplayed as will be describedhereinafter-. 3..

It will be apparent. that. when the. underside ofa record is to be.playedby the stylus .1 l =oftthe tone arm it, a reverse rotationoftherecordzmust; be provided as contrasted with the? rotationoirthe':record on the turntable. when reproductionitheree of is obtained by: thestylus 712.; The-rollers 114.9 are ad-aptedto engage the-turntablelli-oroanys records disposed thereon.Wherebyzrotation-oi such rollers isobtained. 1 If a record IV' were. dis-a posed. on the upper portionsxof;theqrolrlers r149: when they are in engagement. with. the turntable orany records disposedonithe turntable it as inf-idioatedinFig. .13, thenit is obvious thatzsu'ch record li' willi rotate :in a direction.oppositewto the .directiona'oi rotation of the record 1.12011 the.

turntable.--

TONE ARM CONTROL MEANS From'the above discussion, it is apparentqthat;the tone arm '70- must efiectively assume :three; positions solely withrespectto the verticahduring: the operation of the record changen. First:of all,-when the-stylus is in engagement." witl'r the upper surface of.a record disposedzon the turntable it, it is necessary for the tonesarm'toi have what might be defined as va lowermost position indicated inFig. 11 of. the...drawings; Also, the tone arm musthave an intermediateposition when it is outzof :ensagementxwith :the. record on theturntable and alsosoutxof1iengage ment with a record disposed' on.theirollerstgMfl as .is show-n in Figs. 51 and 12; foreXampleI':..Inaddition, .the tone arm. must :have a .third post-r.

tion: for engaging thetundersideofthe:dislrrece ord'for reproductionthereof in thepmanner disel closed ins-Fig. 1310f the. drawings. To\aocome; plisn thisv purposes-the tone armt-raisenp'nzlln: does notengage the rim new the cam .85: asin: 11d automatic. phonographsdisclosed inprthe -5. pending applications .referred: lie-above.Instead. however, there is provided a ;pivotal;.assembly lfill which is:pivotally mounted toza suitab e'u shaped bracket It i: fastened" to:the underside of: the base li.- The U-shaped bracket .lillhasrlatrerally. extending portfons l 182 .iorssupporting -the pivot pin I63 forthe pivotal assembly jail-n .The pivotal assembly I80 includes a finger180a .supporting a pin I84 adaptedto rideaon-thenrirn tltof the cam. 85.Inraddit-ion. tllEJPiVQt3l-fa8a3ff sembly 580 includes .a finger. 18219for. suDHQrte ing-the bottom end. of the tonearmsrai'sempin 8% With theportion .otthe. pivotal :assembly described thus far two ofthethreepositionsrbf.

the. tone arm TN areiobtained. H-WhenLQthe-Qin; 812. is on the W611portion; 5920. of the :rim 92-;.,t he ii: thepivotaleassembly Boris-initslowermost 1305i? tion, :as. shown iniFigli 2 ;of:;thei-;drawings,y

most :position-shownin-Fig; 11' ,so that the stylus;

lzzis .ireertocensage the grooves defined in theupper-surface:ofzthenrecord such as iron the. turntable-1M: When theycam tt-rotates so thatv t hei;pin;-;1.84 moves onto-theihighestportion-oil theerim.;8= 2,a thenthe tone-.arm-raiserpin is movedso;thatgthie tonesxarm'. ll); assumes an. intermediv ateiposition, :suchgasis illustrated in Fig. 12. of v the drawings, which; is the positionassumed by; thartoneoarm-atnall times when: it is notin en aaementwithLeithercthe upper surface or the}; undersurface of a record in one ofthe. two plays. ingiposili'iohsa: .1113 this intermediate position oftheztoneaarmxw,:theadiustalole means 82. 1 in ene asement'-withthe-lever 83;and the weightof thetonesuarmtpis supported by themeans 32; Whenvtherleverthis pivoted away from the stop its; thenthesprin 8 l t is itensioned and. ur es thertone armupwardly to::engage thestylus; 1| amiithe underside ofxa record; Thespring 8.? is acounter-balance spring for the tone arm :11?!) adjust the playing.pressure otthe stylus or needle 12 so that the weight is proper when thetone arm comes down. to the top surface of a record. Tomontrolthetonearm in its uppermost po-i sition indicated iniFig. 13 of thedrawings..=the pivotal assembly 186-" is provided with: an up-e wardly'extendingzportion;1800 which is 0011-. neotedntd-a lever l8? througharod I85: and a suitablelost motion connection which may coma priseapairof displaced nutsiBS and .189: disa-v posedionrtherod when eitherside of an openeing, in. :the .pivotally: mounted lever l8"! throughwhicnthe .rodABE-extends: The lever-or. link I811: iszalso pivotedaboutv the t in .88 preferably;

nsethxrthesegmental gear 55!. The down: wardly. deoen inashoulder. l 6lb of the segment tail-gear; .Hil is ada ted toengaeethe pivotallymounted: lever 1-8.1: just :prior to the final inward and downward:-movement of therollers Onto the positions ndicated in of the draw: ings.{This one-ration Qfthei se mental gean-JSI movingythe; linlr 13.? ;.in,a counter-clockwise die; rec-tion, as; viewed inF g S otthe drawings.causes clockwise pivotal movement of-thepivotal sernhly-lafi; asviewedin-F'g. 2, so that the ,fin gerrzlilfihi'aises-,the toneiarm raise: pin8U;to;i ts maximum: eXtent'ca-using thevstylus 1l; t o;enl-; gagesthegrooves definedin the underside, -,Qf.,;l 1e re o,ord-.-1l1{"rotatablehythe rollersi w ina directiontopposite .to the direction ofIOtEI-lliOHqOf' thefturnt iblel it. The. spring 3! ensuresthedq: siredupward iforce applled; to the, tone arm--10:

TONE ARM TENSION; CONTROL.

,Itiis, of course; desirable. that. the efiective one; easementofgthe-recordby the stylus -1 I. is the samerin zevery respect; as theeffective. engage: montiof the, record withfthe'stylus l2 soithatcnovariation in the: repr duction :is occasioned idea pendinguper;whatevezwthe record is playedzon; the tu ntable s l t or. on therollers.Mil-1 mootherecordsjirotate-gin. the reverse directionrwhen:D1a-yed-;.-0nrthe uppenfacethanwhen layed on the-lowe-r;facer;Whileemploying the same tone arm;:;it1 is.apparent that-.theforce applied-to the tones-arm .by: the sound groove. in. rotatingWitt-i reference-ate. the. stylus .1 it would tend to .move the tone arm:7 0 outwardly, .whereas with referencetoxthe stylus '12 would tend tomovethe tone armrzinwa rdlylv To. equalize this efiect; it iszde sireiblehwhonithe tonearm is in its-iplaying poe sition indicated; in. Fig.131 :03? i the drawings; :to' apply; a slight; inword forcethereto so 1as to an-.-

theitone arm?! 0.- is permittedwozmoveto itsvlowere: minximateetheconditionwhen-playing.the .up 'en face of a record as indicated in Fig.11 of the drawings. To this end, there is provided a tension applyingmeans in the form of a tension spring I90 having one end thereofconnected by a suitable means indicated at I9I to a projection 180 ofthe secondary tone arm I8. The other end of the tension spring I90 isadapted to be connected to a suitable cord or wire I92, which cord isadapted to be wrapped around a pulley I93 fastened to the upper end ofone of the rotatable outer sleeves I48. When the vertical shafts I42 arerotated so the rollers I40 are in their inward position, as shown inFig. 13 of the drawings, the cord I92 is wrapped around the pulley I93so as to increase the tension of the spring I90 tending to pull the tonearm toward the center post I3. With this arrangement, the'reproductionis substantially identical whether the record is played on the underface or the upper face thereof as indicated in Figs. 11 and 13,respectively.

AUTOMATIC STOP It is desirable that, when the last record has been movedaway from the shoulder I on the center post I3, the automatic phonographis conditioned so that it stops upon the complete reproduction of thisrecord. In accordance with the present invention, there is provided anautomatic stop which in many respects is very similar to the automaticstop disclosed and claimed in my prior copending application, Serial No.727,363, filed February 8, 1947, now Patent No. 2,529,474, and assignedto the same assignee as the present application. Where an automatic stopis associated with a record changer which plays both sides of therecords without reversing the records manually, it is apparent thatmeans must be provided to prevent stopping the phonograph until bothsides of the last record have been reproduced.

As was described in connection with the record feeding mechanism, partof the automatic stop device of the present invention comprises thepivotally mounted members 33 and 34 mounted in recess 32 in the ledge orshelf 21. As was described above, the weight of the record whoseperipheral edge rests on the shelf 2'! biases the portion 33c or theportion 340 of the members 33 and 34, respectively, downwardly so as toraise the rock arm 29 to the position shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings,the slot 30 in the rock arm 29 permitting such movement. In accordancewith the present invention, there is provided a sliding plate 200mounted for sliding movement in a pair of opposed notches 22a and 22bdefined in the lower end of the stand or post 22. One end of theslidable plate 200 is provided with an upturned portion 200a whichlimits the slidable movement thereof in one direction. The other end ofthe slidable plate 200 is connected by means of a tension spring 20I tothe end of the channel member I4 welded or otherwise fastened to theundersurface of the base II to provide rigidity thereto. It is apparentthat the spring 20I biases the slidable plate 200 to the position shownin Fig. 5 of the drawings whereby the upwardly extending portion 200athereof is engaged :with the exterior wall of the stand or post 22.

The plate 200 is also provided with an opening of generally rectangularconfiguration, desig nated at 202 in Fig. 5 of the drawings, whichopening is of sufficient size to permit the rock arm 29 to extendtherethrough when it is permitted to move downwardly by the members 33-and 34 and the slot 30. When the rock arm 29 moves to its lowermostposition limited by the upper edge of the slot 30, the lower end thereofextends into the opening 202 so that subsequent movement of the rock arm29 by virtue of raising of the roller 62 will not only cause reciprocalmovement of the ejector plate 40 but will also cause sliding orreciprocal movement of the plate 200 against the bias of the spring 20I.

For the purpose of employing such sliding movement of the plate 200 forstopping the operation of the automatic phonograph there is provided arod 203 having a laterally projecting portion 203a at one end thereofextending downwardly through an opening in the end of the plate 200. Therod 203 extends along the edge of the strengthening flange I4 and theother end thereof is also provided with a downwardly extending portion20% which is adapted to be inserted in a suitable opening in abell-crank 204 pivotally mounted, as best shown in Fig. 5 of thedrawings, to one of the depending posts such as 88a from the base II.This bell-crank 204 is provided with a short arm 204a which contains theopening for receiving the end 2031) of the rod 203. The bell-crank 204is also provided with a long arm having a right-angled flange 2041)which extends over the upper surface of the rotatable cam in fairlyclose relationship thereto as is best shown in Figs. 3 and 5 of thedrawings. Normally, the tension spring 20I moves the bell-crank 204 tothe position shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings so as to be entirely clearof an upwardly projecting pin 205 formed on the upper surface of the cam85. With the flange 20419 of the bell-crank 204 in the position shown inFig. 3 of the drawings, the pin 205 moves behind the flange 2041), asviewed in Fig. 5 of the drawings, so as not to affect or move thebell-crank 204 in any manner. If, however, the slidable plate 200 ismoved to the left, as viewed in Fig. 5 of the drawings, against the biasof spring 20I, the rod 203 is moved so as to pivot the bell-crank 204 ina counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 3 of the drawings, intoa position so as to be engaged by the pin 205 during rotation of themain cam 85, thereby causing further pivotal movement of the bellcrank204 as the pin 205 moves along the flange 20411. As illustrated in Fig.3 of the drawings, the bell-crank 204 is also provided with an arm 2040which is connected by means of a suitable link 206 with the lever IOI.This connection between the link 206 and the lever IOI is illustrated asof the lost motion type comprising a pin and slot connectionspecifically designated at 201 and 208, respectively. With thisarrangement, it is apparent that pivotal movement of the bell-crank 204through engagement with the pin 205 causes pivotal movement of the leverIOI to operate the switch 9| to the off position thereby shutting offthe motor 90 and stopping the automatic phonograph.

For the purpose of guiding the rod 203 in its reciprocal movement alongthe flange I4 there is preferably provided a plurality of downwardlyprojecting members Ma and MD. These projections Ma and M22 arepreferably cut-out portions of the flange I4, which is clearly apparentfrom Fig. 3 of the drawings. With the arrangement disclosed, it is clearthat the assembly operation of the automatic stop mechanism is verysimple since the rod 203 is merely inserted in the openings in themembers 200 and 204 which it interconnects. The rod 203 cannot move outof posi- (2).) When the button 97 is moved to the "R" or repeat positionUnder these conditions the link I62 still has the shoulder I621; inengagement with the extension I6Ia of the segmental gear IBI so that theroller assemblies I39 comprising the rollers I40 are renderedineffective and are maintained in the position shown in solid lines inFig. 1 of the drawings. Consequently, repeat operation only occm's withrespect to the record on the turntable I6. The repeat operation iscaused solely by the fact that no cam means is effective to operate theroller 62 and, consequently, no record is moved from the record stackunder these conditions. The operation of the mechanism otherwise isexactly the same as when the button 91 is moved to the 1 position, whichis the position for playing one side only of the records.

(c.) When the button 97 is moved to the 2 position for playing bothsides of the records in succession Under these conditions the cam I30 isrendered effective to engage with the roller 62 and the link I62 ismoved away from the segmental gear ISI so that the latter is free topivot about its center of rotation 88. By virtue of the construction ofthe cam I30, the ejector plate 40 is eifective to move a record from therecord stack once during every cycle of the cam I I5 but, since the camII5 makes a complete operation only once during every two cycles of thecam 85, it is apparent that the ejector plate 40 is effective to move arecord from the record stack only once during every two cycles of thecam 85. Under these conditions, operation of the record changingmechanism causes reciprocal movement of the link I23 and pivotalmovement of the segment I25 which, by virtue of dog I69 and pin I68,causes pivotal movement of the segmental gear I5I. Such operation causesthe pivotal movement of the roller assemblies through rotation of thevertical shafts I42 from the position shown in Fig. 11 of the drawingsto the position shown in Fig. 12 of the drawings where the rollers I40are in their uppermost position by virtue of the fact that the pin I41moves along the horizontal portion I440 of the L-shaped slot I44a in theinner sleeve I44. Simultaneously with the pivotal movement about thevertical shafts I42 of the roller assemblies, the record ejectingmechanism including the plate 40 causes a record to be moved free of theshoulder I5 of the center post I3 to drop onto the rollers I40 while intheir inward but uppermost positions as is clearly shown in Fig. 12 ofthe drawings. Under these conditions, the tone arm is still in itsoutward position clear of the turntable IB and the records both in therecord stack and on the turntable. Continued rotation of the cams 85 andI I5 causes continued rotation of the outer sleeves I48 of the rollerassemblies I39 so that the pins I4? enter the vertical portions I441) ofthe L-shaped slots I44a permitting the roller assemblies I39 andspecifically the rollers I40 to move downwardly to the position shown inFig. 13 of the drawings so as to drive the record I'I on these rollersby engaging the rotating turntable or the records rotating with theturntable. It is apparent that, under these conditions, this record IT'rotates in a reverse direction with respect to the rotation of theturntable or the records on the turntable. Since the rollers I40 aremade of material such as rubber or the like, sufficient frictionalengagement is assured to provide the desired driving operation thereof.The cam 05 causes the tone arm ID to swing into playing position and,just before the cam I I5 has reached the end of its cyclic operation andthe segmental gear I BI has reached its extreme position followingcounter-clockwise rotation from the position shown in Fig 8 of thedrawings, the projection ISI b thereof engages the end of the lever I81to pivot it in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 8, aboutthe pin 88 so that the pivotal assembly I raises the tone arm raise pin80 and consequently the tone arm l0 to the position shown in Fig. 13 ofthe drawings whereupon the stylus 'II engages the grooves on theunderside of the record I'I.

Upon completion of the playing of the underside of the record I'i', therecord changing cycle is again initiated through operation of the leverI09 and, during the second half of the cyclic operation of the cam II5,the link I23 moves back to the original position shown in Fig. 5 of thedrawings. No record, however, is released from the record stack. Thesegmental gear ISI returns to its original position through operation ofthe extension I2Eia of the segment I25 engaging the pin I68. Suchmovement of the segmental gear causes the roller assemblies to move in avertical direction to the position shown in Fig. 12 of the drawings. Theprojection IGIb of the segmental gear I6l also permits the pivotalassembly ISO to move to the intermediate position where the pin I84 isengageable with the rim 92 so that the tone arm is in its intermediateposition, such as is shown in Fig. 12 of the drawings, whereupon thetone arm is free to swing outwardly from the center post I3. Continuedrotation of the cam I I5 causes the roller assemblies I39 to move to thesolid line position shown in Fig, l of the drawings so that the recordI'I supported thereon drops onto the turntable I6 whereupon during thenext cycle of operation the top surface of this record is played. Itshould be noted that, while the tone arm was in the position shown inFig. 13, the tension control mechanism including the tension spring I90provides increased tension on the tone arm tending to pull it in aninward direction to counteract the efiect of the sound grooves tendingto move the tone arm outwardly.

It will be apparent from the above description that there has beenprovided a new and improved automatic phonograph capable of playing bothsides of disk records in succession if desired which is of a size nogreater than that required for conventional center post drop automaticrecord changers now in extensive use. Furthermore, a very simple andfoolproof mechanism is provided which permits any desired manualoperation of the phonograph as well as automatic operation permittingrejection of any records, repeating of the records and playing of therecords either on both sides or only on one side as desired. Automaticstop means are provided for stopping the phonograph when the last recordin the record stack has been reproduced with the parts thereof inposition so that free access to the turntable is provided.

Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has beendisclosed in complete detail so as to ensure a complete understanding ofthe present invention, it is contemplated that details of the disclosedstructure are capable of modification and that other applications andfeatures of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Hence,it is intended in the appended claimsto cover all such modificationscluding a cam follower and auxiliary rotatable cam mounted on said camcapable of causing said, cam follower to complete one cycle of movemerit thereof during each two revolutions-of said main cam, and meansincluding two reciprocating cams and means selectively to engageone orthe other of said reciprocating cams with said auxiliary cam, each ofsaid reciprocating cams being effective when so engaged for'renderingsaidau giliary cam effective to release one record frgrn said recerdstacl; selectively either during every revolution ofsaid main cam er forevery wo revolu i ns oi sai m n na, in automatic phonograph including arep rd changing mechanism, means for su portis astads'ef rola e wr b e sturntai' le a record stack, a rnain rotatable cam, meane for rotatingsaid cam one revolution during each recordchanging cycle, an auxiliaryrotatable earn mounted on saidmain cam, a cam oll wer Q aid au i ar amadaoteditd e ipotate a n le ycl o mo em n during very tworevolutions oSaid a cam,

me ai cam. io ewe comp si g a r' e ally mova le ear s ior releas n a e or m 34151 1 5mm $12? an fo eng one the ther i sa r c oca y movab em withai n i llowe tor e ecti el ren e oe Said pair of cams eiiective torelease a record from old record s ack for er rev t n d m cam, or torelease a record from said record ack or. eve y tw lu i ns S d ma n a 3.In an automati phonograph including a ecord chansingmech o m mean-ssuppdrting a stacl; of unplayed records above said turnable n a r co dstack a m n r ta e m means or rot tin s id an; one revolution rin eachre or cha in ela an auxiliary sresponeive t9 the reciprocal movement ofotatable ca oun ed on aidrm o co a cam ollowe for s d aux a cam adap edit r tocat in a in le c cle r m vemen 9 w ver wo rev lution o a ,m ii oma me i res on i o t ecipr a mo o samiol ower com sin a P i of iib an mo1s can .for ele n a re rd r mi aid loord tosls an iq n a ng o e r: theother o s d re r cal movab e some ith sa d i llow i' r s e tive y r nden ne said pair o some oi e i e t ele a record from s d rec rd ack 1 91an c qcellv movable ram 9 1 constructed t o rate the changing mechanismto release a record during every half cycie of movement thereof,

while, the other of said reciprocally movable cams ret ated to ope atethe changing m t ato release one record during "every cycle of movementthereof.

4. In a disk record player, means adapted to support a record forrotation in a horizontal pian comprising a roller arranged to rotatablyengage and support said record, means for r0:- 1 tatingsaid roller torotate a record supported thereon, a pickupun-it adapted to cooperatewith v 26 i one. face: of a, record while supported on said roller,meansfor raising and lowering said roller and for swinging said rollerto and from a record supporting position comprising a vertical shaft 1;connected to said roller, means for supportingsaid shaft, saidsupporting means including a sleeve; surrounding said shaft in whichsaid shaft can both rotate and. slide, guide means restraining saidshaft to vertical sliding motion except in a vertically extendedposition and additional guide means restraining said shaft to rotatingmotion in, said vertically extended position, said guide means beingarranged to permit vertical movement thereof only when swung out of saidrecord supporting position and to permit pivotal movement thereof onlywhen in its uppermost position, and a second rotatable sleevesurrounding said first-named sleeve and having means for causing suchvertical and pivotal movement of said shaft.

5,. In a disk record player, means adapted to support a record forrotation in a horizontal plane, comprising a roller disposed forrotation on a horizontal shaft and arranged to rotatably engage andsupport a disk record, means for. rotating said roller on said shaft torotate said record, a pickup unit adapted to cooperate with one face ofa record supported on said roller, means for raising and lowering saidhorizontal shaft and for swinging said horizontal shaft to move saidroller to and from a record supporting position comprising a verticalshaft supporting said horizontal shaft on the upper end thereof. meansfor supporting said vertical shaft, said supporting means including asleeve surrounding said shaft in which said shaft can both rotate andslide, guide means restraining said shaft to vertical sliding motionexcept in a vertically extended position and additional guide meansrestraining said shaft to rotating motion in said vertically extendedposition, said guide means being arranged to permit vertical movementthereof only when pivoted so that said roller is out; of said recordsupporting position and to permit pivotal movement thereof only when inits uppermost position, and a second rotatable sleeve surrounding saidfirst-named sleeve and having, means for causing such vertical andpivotal mov m nt f said shaft.

6,. In a disk record player, means adapted to support a record forrotation in a horizontal plane, comprising a plurality of rollersarranged to rotataloly engage and support a record at spaced pointsthereon, a horizontal shaft for each of'said rollers, means for rotatingat least one of said rollers on its horizontal shaft to rotate a recordsupported thereon, a pickup unit adapt ed to cooperate with one face ofa record while supported on, said rollers, means for raising andlowering said rollers and for swinging said horizontal shafts and saidrollers to and from record supporting positions comprising a verticalshaft connected to each horizontal shaft, means for supporting each ofsaid vertical shafts, said supporting means including a sleevesurrounding said shaft in which said shaft can both rotate and slide,guide means restraining said shaft to vertical sliding motion except ina vertically extended position and additional guide means restrainingsaid shaft to rotating motion in said vertical y e t nded p t n, saiduide means being arranged to permit vertical movement thereof only whenswung to their non record supporting positions and to permit pivotalmovem at there only whe riipperin s aa- 27 tions, a second rotatablesleeve surrounding said first-named sleeve and having means for each ofsaid vertical shafts for causing such vertical and pivotal movementsthereof, and means for causing simultaneous movement of each of saidsecond rotatable sleeves.

'7. In a disk record player, means adapted to support a record forrotation in a horizontal plane, comprising a plurality of rollersarranged to rotatably engage and support a record at spaced pointsthereon, a horizontal shaft for each of said rollers, means for rotatingat least one of said rollers on its horizontal shaft to rotate a recordsupported thereon, a pickup unit adapted to cooperate with one face of arecord while supported on said rollers, means for raising and loweringsaid rollers and for swinging said horizontal shaft and said rollers toand from record supporting positions comprising a vertical shaftconnected to each horizontal shaft, means for supporting each of saidvertical shafts, said supporting means including a sleeve surroundingsaid shaft in which said shaft can both rotate and slide, guide meansrestraining said shaft to vertical sliding motion except in a verticallyextended position and additional guide means restraining said shaft torotating motion in said vertically extended. position, said guide meansbeing arranged to permit vertical movement theerof only when swung totheir non-record supporting positions and to permit pivotal movementthereof only when in their uppermost positions, a second rotatablesleeve surrounding said first-named sleeve and having means for each ofsaid vertical shafts for causing such vertical and pivotal movementsthereof, and means for causing simultaneous movement of each of saidsecond rotatable sleeves comprising a sprocket on each of said secondrotatable sleeves and a flexible driving member interconnecting saidsprockets.

8. In a disk record player, means adapted to support a record forrotation in a horizontal plane, comprising a roller disposed forrotation on a horizontal shaft and arranged to rotatably engage andsupport a disk record, means for rotating said roller on said shaft torotate said record, a pickup unit adapted to cooperate with one face ofa record supported on said roller, means for raising and lowering saidhorizontal shaft and for swinging said horizontal shaft to move saidroller to and from a record supporting position comprising a verticalshaft supporting said horizontal shaft at the upper end thereof, a pinextending laterally from the lower end of said vertical shaft, meanscomprising a stationary sleeve having an inverted L-shaped slot thereinfor receiving said pin to support said vertical shaft only for Verticalmovement thereof when said pin is in the vertical leg of said slot, andto support said vertical shaft only for pivotal movement when said pinis in the horizontal leg of said slot, and a rotatable sleeve disposedaround said stationary sleeve having an opening one edge of whichdefines an inclined plane engageable with said pin to cause verticalmovement of said vertical shaft in response to rotation of saidrotatable sleeve at one end of said plane, and a notch in said rotatablesleeve for receiving said pin when said pin is in the horizontal leg ofsaid slot to cause pivotal movement of said vertical shaft, and meansfor rotating said rotatable sleeve.

9. In a disk record player, means adapted to support a record forrotation in a horizontal plane, comprising a plurality of rollersarranged to rotate a record supported thereon, a pickup unit adapted tocooperate with one face of a record While supported on said rollers,means for raising and lowering said rollers and for swinging saidhorizontal shaft and said rollers to and from record supportingpositions comprising a vertical shaft connected to each horizontalshaft, a pin extending laterally from the lower end of each verticalshaft, means for supporting each of said vertical shafts to permitvertical movement thereof only when swung to their nonrecord supportingpositions and to permit pivotal movement thereof only when in theiruppermost positions each comprising a stationary sleeve having aninverted L-shaped slot therein for receiving said pin to support saidvertical shaft only for vertical movement thereof when said pin is inthe vertical leg of said slot, and to support said vertical shaft onlyfor pivotal movement when said pin is in the horizontal leg of saidslot, a plurality of rotatable sleeves one disposed around each of saidstationary sleeves and each having a cam surface thereon which isarranged to be engageable with its associated I pin for moving saidvertical shafts in a vertical and pivotal manner, means for rotating oneof said rotatable sleeves, and means driving-1y interconnecting all ofsaid rotatable sleeves.

10. In a disk record player, means adapted to support a record forrotation in a horizontal plane, comprising a plurality of rollersarranged to rotatably engage and support a record, a horizontal shaftfor each of said rollers, means for rotating at least one of sa drollers on said shaft to rotate a record supported thereon, a pickupunit adapted to cooperate with one face of a record while supported onsaid rollers, means for raising and lowering said rollers and forswinging said horizontal shaft and said rollers to and from recordsupporting positions comprising a vert cal shaft connected to eachhorizontal shaft, a pin extending laterally from the lower end of eachvertical shaft, means for supporting each of said vertical shafts topermit vertical movement thereof only when swung to their nonrecordsupporting positions and to permit pivotal movement thereof only when intheir uppermost positions each comprising a stat onary sleeve having aninverted L-shaped slot therein for receiving said pin to support saidvertical shaft only for vertical movement thereof when said pin is inthe vertical le of said slot, and

ets for drivingly interconnecting all of said rotatable sleeves toensure simultaneous movement of said plurality of rollers.

